The present invention relates to an apparatus for sorting sheets or the like, which reads address codes, e.g., bar codes, applied to the sheets or the like, such as mail, and distributes the introduced sheets or the like in accordance with the address codes. More particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus for sorting sheets or the like which enables carrier route sequencing of mail, i.e., sequencing the volume of mail by carrier routes in accordance with address codes.
A conventional apparatus for reading address codes applied to sheets or the like such as mail and sequencing the incoming sheets or the like in the order indicated by the address codes is, for example, a carrier route sequencing system for sheets or the like which is disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 63-287584.
In this conventional system, addresses of delivery points of sheets or the like are inputted, and the sheets or the like are sorted into portions corresponding to delivery zones in accordance with the inputted addresses. During this operation, the addresses and the number of fed sheets or the like for each of the delivery zones are stored in a storage unit. Then, the stored addresses are sequenced into the carrier route order and stored again, next, each of the portions of the sheets or the like sorted in accordance with the delivery zones are taken out of a stacker device and supplied to a feeder device again. After that, the addresses are read again and checked with the addresses in the carrier route order stored in the storage unit, thus sorting the sheets or the like in accordance with the carrier route order.
In the above-described conventional technology, sheets or the like such as mail sorted and received in sections of the stacker device must be taken out and returned to the feeder so as to perform carrier route sequencing. For this purpose, there are employed a recycle for shifting the sorted sheets or the like from the stacker to the feeder device. In this case, in order to supply the sorted mail in the stacker to the feeder again, the mail taken out of the stacker must be transferred about 3 to 6 m from the stacker to the feeder.
However, supposing the number of mail per deliverer is about 1000, the weight of the mail is totally about 10 kg, and consequently, for example, it is necessary to prepare trays for containing the mail in the vicinity of the stacker, to introduce the sorted mail into the trays carefully without changing the order of the mail, to carry the trays to the vicinity of the feeder device and to supply the mail to the feeder device successively in order. Such operations require much labor and time and involve a problem that if an error occurs in the order of the mail when moving the mail into or out of the trays, correct carrier route sequencing can not be carried out.
An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for sorting sheets or the like which can improve the efficiency of sequencing sorted mail into carrier route order.
In order to achieve the above object, one characteristic of the present invention resides in an apparatus for sorting sheets or the like, comprising: a feeder which hold a plurality of sheets or the like in standing positions; a separator (or singulator) for taking up (or singulating) the sheets or the like one by one from the feeder; an address code reader for reading address codes applied to the sheets or the like which have been taken up by the separator; a stacker provided on an upper portion of the feeder, the stacker including a plurality of stacking sections in which the sheets or the like are stacked in standing positions; a conveyer for the sheets or the like which connects the separator and the stacker; and a sheets or the like sorter for sorting the sheets or the like to any of the stacking sections of the stacker in accordance with the address codes which have been read by the address code reader.
In this case, preferably, the apparatus further includes a switch-back device for reversing the direction of conveyance of the sheets or the like, the switch-back device being provided in the middle of the conveyer.
Further, preferably, the address code reader consist of a first address code reader for reading address codes applied to the front surfaces of the sheets or the like which have been taken up by the separator, and a second address code reader for reading address codes applied to the back surfaces of the sheets or the like which have been taken up by the separator, and the sorter sorts the sheets or the like to any of the stacking sections of the stacker in accordance with the address codes which have been read by the first address code reader or the second address code reader.
Preferably, the stacker further includes sheets or the like shifter by which the sheet or the like held in substantially standing positions in the stacker are shifted into the feeder so as to be held in standing positions and moved to the separator without changing the order of the sheets or the like when they were shifted to the stacker.
Preferably, the stacker further includes bottom-surface mover which lets the sheets or the like in standing positions in the stacker fall down into the feeder. In this case, it is effective that the feeder include a sheet or the like moving device for moving the sheets or the like held in standing positions in the feeder, toward the separator.
Preferably, the feeder which holds the sheets or the like in standing positions are replaced with a feeder which holds a plurality of sheets or the like in standing or horizontal positions, and the stacker in which the sheets or the like are stacked in standing positions are replaced with a stacker including a plurality of stacking sections in which the sheets or the like are stacked in standing or horizontal positions, and also, the stacker includes a bottom-surface mover which lets the sheets or the like in the stacker fall down into the feeder, and the feeder includes a bottom-surface mover for raising the bottom surface thereof toward the bottom surface of the stacker and returning it to the original position.
It is effective that the stacker includes a first stacker including a plurality of stacker sections in which the sheet or the like are stacked in standing positions, which first stacking device can shift the sheet or the like to the feeder, and the sheets or the like sorter includes a first sheets or the like sorter, and the apparatus further includes a second distributor for distributing the sheets or the like to the second stacker. In this case, preferably, the plurality of processing segments are such that the number of the sheets or the like belonging to each of the processing segments is not more than the number which can be placed in the feeder at one time.
With this structure, it is effective that the apparatus further includes a thickness measurer for measuring the thickness of the sheets or the like; a first storage unit for storing the thickness of the sheets or the like which have been measured by the thickness measurer and the address codes of the sheets or the like which have been read by the address code reader; a sequencer for sequencing the address codes and the thickness of the sheets or the like in the first storage unit into the serial order of the address codes; a second storage unit for storing the address codes and the thickness of the sheets or the like produced from the sequencer, in the serial order of the address codes; and a controller by which when the total thickness of the sheets or the like is larger than the thickness which can be placed in the feeder at one time, the address codes stored in the second storage unit are divided into a plurality of continuous processing segments, a plurality of the sheets or the like supplied to the feeder are taken up one by one by the separator, the address codes are read by the address code reader, and sheets or the like whose read address codes are not in the first one of the processing segments, are stacked in the second stacker. In this case, preferably, the total thickness of the sheets or the like belonging to each of the processing segments is not more than the thickness which can be placed in the feeder at one time.
With the structure having the first and second distributor it is effective that the apparatus further includes a thickness measurer for measuring the thickness of the sheets or the like; a first storage unit for storing the thickness of the sheets or the like which have been measured by the thickness measurer and the address codes of the sheets or the like which have been read by the address code reader; a sequencer for sequencing the address codes and the thickness of the sheets or the like in the first storage unit into the serial order of the address codes; a second storage unit for storing the address codes and the thickness of the sheets or the like produced from the sequence in the serial order of the address codes; a third storage unit for storing correspondence between the stacker sections of the first stacker and digits in any of the positions which constitute the address codes; and a controller by which when the total thickness of the sheets or the like inputted from the second storage unit is larger than the thickness which can be placed in the feeder at one time, the address codes are divided into a plurality of processing segments, provided with processing segment symbols and stored in the second storage unit, a plurality of the sheet or the like supplied to the feeder are taken up one by one by the separator, the address codes are read by the address code reader, and sheets or the like whose read address codes are not in the first one of the processing segments are stacked in the second stacker, the thickness of the sheets or the like corresponding to the address codes having a common digit in any of a plurality of positions of the address codes is summed up, and when the total thickness of the sheets or the like is larger than the thickness which can be stacked in each of the stacking sections, common sorting information is allotted to two continuous stacking sections and stored in the third storage unit.
Similarly, with the structure having the first and second distributor, it is preferred that the apparatus further includes a thickness measurer for measuring the thickness of the sheets or the like; a first storage unit for storing the thickness of the sheets or the like which have been measured by the thickness measurer and the address codes of the sheets or the like which have been read by the address code reader; a sequencer for sequencing the address codes and the thickness of the sheets or the like in the first storage unit into the serial order of the address codes; a second storage unit for storing the address codes and the thickness of the sheets or the like produced from the sequencer, in the serial order of the address codes; and a controller by which address codes of sheets or the like to be delivered with priority are obtained in advance, a plurality of the sheets or the like supplied to the feeder are taken up one by one by the separator, the address codes are read by the address code reader, and sheets or the like whose read address codes are not the address codes for sorting with priority are received in the second stacker.
It is effective that the stacker are devices including a plurality of stacking sections in which the sheets or the like are stacked in standing positions, which a stacker can shift the sheets or the like to the feeder, and the apparatus further includes for displaying, for each of the stacking sections, a range of the address codes of the sheets or the like stacked in the stacking section when sequencing of the sheets or the like is completed.
Further, it is effective that the stacker are devices including a plurality of stacking sections in which the sheets or the like are stacked in standing positions, which stacker can shift the sheets or the like to the feeder and the apparatus further includes display devices which correspond to the respective stacking sections and are provided in the vicinity of the stacking sections, each of which displayer displays address codes of sheets or the like stacked in the nearest adjacent stacking section when sequencing of the sheets or the like is completed.
Moreover, it is effective that the stacker device are devices including a plurality of stacking sections in which the sheets or the like are stacked in standing positions, which a stacker device can shift the sheets or the like to the feeder device and the apparatus further includes control devices by which the stacking sections of the stacker devices are associated with digits in a predetermined position of the address codes in normal order or reverse order, a plurality of the sheets or the like supplied to the feeder device are taken up one by one by the separator device and are distributed to the stacking sections of the stacker device in accordance with the address codes read by the address code reader device, the sheets or the like are shifted from the stacker devices to the feeder devices so as to be fed to the separator devices again, and a series of the foregoing operations are repeated and controlled. In this case, preferably, the apparatus further includes control devices by which the series of operations starts with associating digits in the first position from the right of a plurality of positions of the address codes in normal order or reverse order, with the respective stacking sections of the stacker devices and every time the series of operations is repeated, digits in the next position of the address codes to the left of the former position are associated with the respective stacking sections of the stacker devices and the order of the digits in the position of the address codes corresponding to the stacking sections is reversed, and the series of operations is repeated as many times as the number of digit positions of the address codes so that a plurality of the sheets or the like discriminated by the address codes can be sequenced into normal order or reverse order of the address codes.
Another characteristic of the present invention resides in an apparatus for sorting sheets or the like, comprising: feeder devices which hold a plurality of sheets or the like; separator devices for taking up the sheets or the like one by one from the feeder device address code a reading device for reading address codes applied to the sheets or the like which have been taken up by the separator device; stacker devices provided on an upper portion of the feeder devices, the stacker devices including a plurality of stacking sections in which the sheets or the like are stacked; conveyer for the sheets or the like which connect the separator devices and the stacker devices; sheet or the like distributor devices for distributing the sheet or the like to any of the stacking sections of the stacker devices in accordance with the address codes which have been read by the address code reader devices and a shift device for shifting the sheets or the like in the stacker devices to the feeder devices, the shift devices being provided between the stacker devices and the feeder devices.
Since the stacking unit is provided on the upper portion of the feeder devices, the sheets or the like sorted to the stacking sections of the stacker device can be shifted from the stacking unit on an upper shelf to the feeder devices on a lower shelf when the sheets or the like are supplied to the feeder devices again. As a result, the operational efficiency of the carrier route sequencing can be improved.
In this specification of the invention, in the feeder device are accumulated. The separator devices are a mechanism consisting of a rotating belt for taking up letters one by one from the feeder devices and conveying it. The first address code reader devices and the second address code reader devices are mechanisms for reading bar codes or the like, such as bar code readers and OCR devices. The first stacker devices are a box structure divided by a plurality of partitions and consist of a plurality of stacking sections. The letters which have been conveyed by the belt are distributed to the stacking sections in accordance with their addresses. The second stacker devices are a mechanism similar to the first stacker device and letters rejected by the first stacker devices are stacked in the second stacker devices. The devices are, for example, a belt. The switch-back devices reverse the advancing direction of letters. The sheet or the like distributor devices are switch devices for the advancing direction of the letters.
According to the present invention, the sheets or the like to which address codes are applied, such as mail, can be sequenced into the order indicated by the address codes, and the efficiency of such carrier route sorting operation can be improved.